With the scorching footsteps of midsummer in July, the competitive landscape of the new energy vehicle (NEV) sector has become increasingly intense, presenting a contrasting “ice and fire” scenario. Top 10 new energy vehicles in July, like Li Auto, achieved new sales milestones, while some brands faced unprecedented challenges, subtly reshaping the market landscape.
BYD proudly reached a peak of 340,000 units sold, holding steady near its historical high despite a slight adjustment from the previous month, highlighting its strong market presence. However, with the domestic market nearing saturation, BYD faces significant challenges on its growth path. To overcome this bottleneck, expanding into international markets is crucial. Given the top 10 new energy vehicles in July are experiencing dramatic fluctuations globally, it remains to be seen whether BYD can successfully navigate this transition.
On the other hand, Li Auto reached an impressive monthly sales figure of 50,000 units, recovering from the downturn faced in the first quarter due to issues with the new Mega model. The strong rebound in reputation, sales, and stock prices suggests that Li Auto is set to claim the second spot in the Chinese electric vehicle market. Despite the gap with BYD, Li Auto has significantly outperformed other competitors, firmly establishing itself in the top 10 new energy vehicles in July and securing the second position.
Close behind Li Auto is Wenjie (AITO), which once again exceeded the 40,000 units mark this month, despite a slight decline compared to the previous month, highlighting a stark contrast with Li Auto’s growth. To improve its standing in the top 10 new energy vehicles in July and advance against Li Auto, Wenjie needs breakthroughs in model innovation. Wenjie’s dependence on Huawei presents both an advantage and a limitation. Enhancing its independent development capabilities while maintaining a strong partnership with Huawei will be crucial for its continued success and leadership in the market.
GAC Aion stalled at around 35,000 units, demonstrating mediocre performance and gradually lagging behind brands like Li Auto and Wenjie. As a key player in the mid to low-end market, Aion appears to be losing its initial market advantage, especially as it strives to remain among the top 10 new energy vehicles in July.
In contrast, Leapmotor‘s sales surged to 22,000 units this month. From previously steady sales of around 10,000 units to now exceeding 20,000, Leapmotor has not only increased its lead over competitors like Nezha but is also closing in on GAC Aion. With this momentum, I am optimistic about Leapmotor’s prospects and believe it could surpass GAC Aion within the next two years to become a leading contender among the top 10 new energy vehicles in July in the mid to low-end car market.
NIO, on the other hand, maintained steady sales of around 20,000 units this month. Although it didn’t achieve a significant breakthrough, this stable performance is still considered a success. However, compared to former rival Li Auto, NIO has shown a noticeable gap. With no new models introduced this year, NIO’s sales growth appears to be at a bottleneck. Despite this, NIO remains hopeful that it can achieve new breakthroughs and secure a stronger position among the top 10 new energy vehicles in July in the future.
The most dismal performance this month was from Zeekr, with sales plummeting by 22% to only 15,000 units. Despite high market expectations, Zeekr’s sales have consistently fallen short. This could be attributed to its niche market positioning and relatively high prices. If Zeekr wants to establish itself in a fiercely competitive market, it urgently needs to adjust its product positioning to better meet consumer needs.
Xpeng continued to hover around the 10,000 units mark, showing a worrying market performance. The gap between Xpeng and leaders like Li Auto and NIO is widening, suggesting that Xpeng is falling behind in the new forces’ top three. Without timely strategy adjustments and product competitiveness improvements, Xpeng’s future could become more challenging.
Neta Auto achieved a 7.9% growth this month, but the total volume remained insufficient, barely reaching 11,000 units. In the mid to low-end car market, Neta is squeezed by GAC Aion at the front and chased by Leapmotor from behind, making its situation increasingly difficult. Although its investor Zhou Hongyi is active in the industry, his actual assistance to the Neta brand seems limited. How Neta will break through in the future remains to be seen.
In the tenth spot is the highly anticipated Xiaomi, which again made a modest appearance this month with a vague “over 10,000” description, estimated to still hover around the 10,000 units threshold, solidifying its position at the end of the top ten list. For Xiaomi, such an achievement is no small feat. As a newcomer, reaching a monthly sales milestone of over 10,000 units in a short period reflects market potential and consumer recognition. However, it also indirectly indicates Xiaomi’s cautious approach to capacity expansion. Facing high order volumes and potential preorder surges (estimated to exceed 100,000), Xiaomi seems to be controlling its production pace to avoid subsequent supply chain pressure from overexpansion.
In the cutthroat NEV industry, brands such as Xiaomi and Neta are nearing elimination. As the market matures, disparities between brands become more pronounced. Companies struggling to increase sales face significant challenges, with the dual pressures of rising costs and ongoing losses making long-term survival difficult.
This year is crucial for distinguishing leaders. The top 10 new energy vehicles in July highlight how leading brands like Li Auto and BYD are solidifying their market positions, while lower-ranked brands might be pushed out. Mid-tier brands must fight fiercely to carve out their place. Who will emerge as the new industry star amid this elimination race? We will keep you updated with the latest reports.